Belgium's largest wildlife park: 250 hectares to explore on foot or by safari car, with brown bears, wolves, bison, lynx and wolverines, the “European Big 5”. Don't miss the Bear Hill and the Gouffre de Belvaux. Allow half a day, or a full day combined with the caves.
A “didactic and playful” art museum on Place de l'Esro in Redu: more than 300 works tell roughly seven centuries of creation, with interactive stations and activities that bring the visit to life. It suits families and schools as much as adults.
The Lesse sinks underground and runs through galleries, great chambers, stalactites and stalagmites: one of Belgium's best-known caves. Two routes, “Discovery” and “Crossing”, let you explore it. The estate is part of the Famenne-Ardenne Geopark, recognised as a UNESCO Global Geopark in 2018.
Nicknamed the “little sister of the Han cave”, the Lorette cave is visited on a guided tour of about an hour, after an almost vertical descent to 60 metres underground. The Sabbath Hall with its rimstone pools, the Cataclysm Hall and a sound-and-light show: another face of the underground world of the Calestienne.
A launch base devoted to astronaut training: aptitude tests, simulators, a space journey, a planetarium, Moonwalk and Marswalk, and a Martian village. Families will find attractions open to children from 1.10 m, and holiday courses are run during school breaks.
Founded by Anne Thiébaut and Philippe Hérion, this art gallery on Place de l'Esro, right next to the Mudia, shows painters, sculptors, illustrators, designers and photographers, with exhibitions and events throughout the year. Entry is free.
At Graide, an immersive, educational adventure park built around the four elements: Earth, Air, Water and Fire. You follow a big ecological investigation through games, riddles and sensory challenges, tracking a monster that threatens nature's balance. From age 4, allow 1.5 to 2 hours; booking is online.
At Graide, near Bièvre, the Jardin des Hiboux offers visits and demonstrations around birds of prey: standard or VIP visits, and even a night-time discovery tour. Entry is by session only, with online booking.
Created in 1758, the water gardens of Annevoie animate ponds, cascades and fountains without any machinery: the water simply flows, through formal gardens. Labelled “Jardin remarquable” and maintained without pesticides since 2015, they take about 1.5 hours to visit.
At Bertrix you go down 25 metres into a former slate quarry: nearly a kilometre of galleries, great chambers blasted out with explosives, rails and wagons, to understand the work of the “scailtons”. The visit lasts about an hour, with an audio guide; it is only about 11 °C down there, so bring warm clothes.
Near Saint-Hubert, the provincial estate brings together two museums: the Iron Museum, built around a late eighteenth-century blast furnace built by the abbot of Saint-Hubert, and the Museum of Rural Life in Wallonia, an open-air museum of over 40 hectares with a little school, a chapel, a printing works, bread ovens and a village shop from days gone by.
The former bell foundry at Tellin has kept its period buildings and tools, and a museum tells the story of bell-making craft. A singular place, a few minutes from Daverdisse, well worth a visit in season; groups of 10 or more are welcome all year by reservation.
At Rochefort, Malagne is a “living open-air museum” centred on a Gallo-Roman villa. Heritage, nature and culture mix, with regular activities, courses for 4-12 year-olds and discovery days. Groups are welcome all year by reservation.
Founded in 2011 by nearly 500 cooperative members, this brewery set in a renovated farm brews craft, natural, organic beers: Top Lesse, Blanche de Lessive, La Saison de Han, Brune des Braves… The guided tour lasts about 1.5 hours, with or without a tasting.
A reference centre on the Second World War and the Battle of the Bulge, on Mardasson Hill in Bastogne. A modern, interactive route traces the causes, events and consequences of the war; you can extend it with the Bastogne War Rooms or a ride in a military vehicle.
The small town of Saint-Hubert grew up around its former abbey and its basilica, linked to Saint Hubert, patron saint of hunters. A stroll through its lanes combines easily with the nearby Fourneau Saint-Michel.
A watchtower from 1244, then a fortress with three great towers in 1450 and a fourth around 1500: the castle has 32 rooms, from cellars to keep. Listed as major heritage of Wallonia, it is surrounded by a park with free access and a wetland; only the castle interior is ticketed.
At Celles, one of the most remarkable examples of fifteenth-century military architecture, listed as an exceptional monument. Fully furnished and still lived in by the same family, it is visited floor by floor, from staircases to terraces and chapel; there are playful visits for children (dressing up, treasure hunt).
Perched at 208 metres, the castle gave its name to the town of Rochefort. In the seventeenth century Jean Ernest de Loewenstein, count of Rochefort and prince-abbot of Stavelot, turned it into a palace; sold off as national property in 1811, it was dismantled stone by stone. Its walls still dominate the landscape.
The town stretches along the Meuse beneath its citadel, fortified as early as 1051, and its collegiate church. You can climb the 408 steps from the centre; there is also a large car park at the top. Dinant is the birthplace of Adolphe Sax and of the couque, a very hard biscuit to nibble while strolling the quays.
Perched on three rocky spurs for over a thousand years, the castle overlooks the Semois from 75 metres. You visit its underground passages, the Godfrey Hall and the Austria Tower (360° panorama), watch a falconry show, and can even explore it at night by torchlight.
Many marked trails start in the area: forests, meadows and the banks of the Lesse, for a short stroll after breakfast or a day's hike. At reception we hand you the maps and advise you according to the weather.
Cycle paths and mountain-bike routes start right from the hotel and follow the Lesse valley, for gentle or more sporty rides. Ask at reception for the current routes.
Riding centres nearby offer horseback rides through the Ardennes countryside, in the forest and across meadows. We are happy to help you book.
The classic descent links Houyet to Anseremme over 21 km in nearly five hours, between wooded slopes, castles and rocks, with two small weirs to pass. Open from age 5, depending on water level: check before you set off.
The Semois winds between wooded hills: another river, another landscape to paddle through, starting from Alle-sur-Semois. Water level determines what is possible: best to check before booking.
Our team knows the area inside out: walking maps, ideas for outings, places to try, bookings. Tell us whether you have a day, a weekend or a week, and what you would enjoy.
Redu and its two hamlets, Lesse and Séchery, were awarded the Most Beautiful Villages of Wallonia label together in 2024. Ardennes sandstone, former farms and schools, meadows and forest: Redu is also the “book village”, with its bookshops and craftspeople, open mostly at weekends. In Lesse the houses line the river and a heritage site is protected; Séchery charms with its well-preserved houses set in greenery. On the heights, the Notre-Dame de Walcourt chapel (1750) and its surroundings are protected. Many walking paths start from the three hamlets.
About 150 inhabitants, thirteen farms and nineteenth-century limestone houses, on the edge of the Famenne and the Ardennes: Sohier has been among the Most Beautiful Villages of Wallonia since 1996. The former school houses the “Laboratoire de la vie rurale”. The village is also known for its Special Beers Weekend, held every February.
The neighbouring town, ten minutes from the Moulin: shops, services and restaurants. It is also the municipality that includes the village of Sohier.
The village of the famous caves and wildlife park, nestled on the banks of the Lesse, with terraces and lively lanes in season.
A town of character known for its caves, the ruins of its castle and the Malagne archaeological park. Trappist beer from the abbey of Notre-Dame de Saint-Remy is brewed here.
A place of pilgrimage since the apparitions of 1932-1933 to five children. You can visit the sanctuary and stroll in the castle park.
The town of the basilica and the patron saint of hunters, in the heart of the forested Ardennes, with the Fourneau Saint-Michel close by.